A Cozy Class about Winter Clothes and Activities
Winter is just around the corner and the weather is getting colder, so why not have a lesson about staying warm? Teach the students English words for cold-weather clothing and activities that they can do this winter break. Students will already be excited and thinking about their holiday, so ask them about it!
There’s plenty of winter clothing that students might use over the winter break. Hats, scarves, coats, and gloves are all good ways to bundle up against the cold. Add some more unusual winter clothing for flavor! Sports clothing such as ice skates and ski goggles for example. How do people in colder climates stay warm? A unique way to introduce the clothing is to bring some in and put them on as you name them. Younger students will find this especially funny! Use this to engage them and get them to speak English. For older students, get them thinking. For example, hold up a glove and a mitten and ask them the difference. A fun activity could be clothes bingo, or have an outline of a person and call up students to draw clothes in the correct place!
Have students brainstorm different ways they can stay warm this holiday! What will they do? A few will probably go on a skiing trip, or ice skating. They can make a snowman in their backyard or use hand warmers while out and about. Especially with covid 19, staying at home is ok too! Think of ways to stay warm such as a blanket, a warm drink, or wearing clothes inside. What food can you eat to stay warm? What’s your favorite winter food?
Turn the lesson on its head and talk about summer south of the equator. What are some warm-weather clothing they can wear? What can they do to stay cool? How do they celebrate holidays? Explore Christmas in Australia or South America. Even if you’re not from one of these countries, or a place that’s warm year-round, this is a good way to introduce a bit about your culture. Do you wear any unique clothing to stay warm or cold? Do you have any traditional winter food or drink? If you have something from your home country that isn’t valuable, bring it in!
As students don their winter clothes and do some of the activities covered in class, they will reinforce the English word in their minds. And maybe as they’re grabbing their hat and scarf to go outside, they’ll remember what a fun lesson they had.
J . R . – Musashino ALT
